Acne vulgaris is a common dermatologic disorder with a high prevalence in teenagers and young adults, and especially in women. It consists of both inflammatory and non-inflammatory types of lesions; non-inflammatory lesions include open and closed comedones, while inflammatory lesions include papules, pustules, and cysts. Acne is widely believed to have a multi-factorial origin, and evidence suggests that elevated sebum secretion, follicular hyperkeratosis, bacterial proliferation (P. acnes) and inflammation may play roles to varying degrees. Other influences include sex hormones and psychological stressors. Current treatments of acne therefore focus on remedying one or more of these factors.
Cryotherapy, or short-term (approximately or less than 15 minutes) application of moderately cold temperature to the skin, is widely accepted as having an anti-inflammatory effect and has various applications in medicine. (This is to be distinguished from cryosurgery, which consists of locally applying extreme cold to an affected area with the intent of obliterating abnormal tissue.) Moderate cold temperature has been shown to cause localized vasoconstriction, decreased cellular permeability, decreased cellular metabolism, and to decelerate bacterial replication. These effects synergistically diminish the inflammatory biochemical cascade response to cellular injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,025 by Gaston R. Bontemps describes a cooling device in the form of deep-frozen blocks or cakes of cosmetic substances which are directly applicable to the skin. The vasoconstrictive action of the cold is added to the action of the cosmetic substance. Bontemps' invention, however, poses a risk to the user. If the blocks of cosmetics are frozen in a conventional household freezer, they may become contaminated with microorganisms from the freezer environment, which may infect the very sores that the user is treating. In addition, if the blocks are returned to the freezer after use, they may transfer organisms from the user to the food stored in the freezer. The cold temperature of the freezer would support the preservation of these contaminants for an extended period of time. In addition, since these frozen blocks cannot be easily cleaned after being applied to one sore, they may promote the transfer of microorganisms from one place on the skin to a different place or from one person to another.
This invention is not limited to the treatment of acne vulgaris; other ailments benefiting from localized cryotherapy as recognized by the medical art may also benefit from this invention.
This invention solves the problems identified above. None of the prior art offers the economy and hygiene of the present invention. Further features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention over the prior art will be more fully understood when considered with respect to the following detailed description and claims.